Congressman Rooney and Margaret Dowd Discuss NIH and Lupus Research in Capitol Meeting

Lupus Research Institute CEO and S.L.E. Lupus Foundation Executive Director Margaret Dowd met with Representative Thomas J. Rooney (R-FL), co-chair of the Congressional Lupus Caucus, in the House Cloak Room of the U.S. Capitol on March 25 during the LRI's annual advocacy campaign in Washington.

They discussed the importance of strengthening the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget through the 2015 appropriations process, the need to stem the 34 percent decline in the number of investigator-initiated grants at NIH over the past decade, and current directions in lupus research. The Congressman was also briefed on LRI plans for private-sector lupus research.

As a Member of the House Appropriations Committee, the Congressman pledged to work closely with the LRI in the coming year on the NIH budget.